Quenneville loads up Hawks' No. 1 power-play unit

Hossa, Sharp, Kane, Toews, Seabrook should be dangerous group

Joel Quenneville appears to be going all-in to jump-start the Blackhawks' power play.

The coach stockpiled the No. 1 unit with the Hawks' top offensive players during Monday's practice, with forwards Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews joining defenseman Brent Seabrook. Those players combined to score 27 of the Hawks' 42 goals with a man advantage this season.

With various combinations — often brought upon by the absence of Toews from the lineup the final 22 games of the season with a concussion — the power play finished 25th in the NHL with a 15.2 percent success rate.

When the Western Conference quarterfinals kick off against the Coyotes and red-hot goaltender Mike Smith on Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz., the Hawks' top four point-producers could man the forward spots on the top unit.

"Having Jonathan back, it gives a new look," said Hossa, who had a team-high nine power-play goals. "We have to work hard and have somebody in front of the net otherwise it doesn't matter who we have on the power play. It won't work if you have a goalie like Smith in the net. We want to make sure we have traffic and keep shooting the puck maybe from the beginning."

The second unit during Monday's practice was forwards Andrew Shaw, Marcus Kruger and Andrew Brunette along with defensemen Duncan Keith and Johnny Oduya.

Bruno back: After a two-game layoff, Brunette returned to practice and skated with the fourth line, proclaiming himself ready to play Thursday barring a setback. Brunette had been battling a foot injury before briefly shutting it down to heal.

"Everything has been moving along pretty good and that extra week of rest really helped," Brunette said.

Friend and foe: Quenneville called Coyotes coach Dave Tippett, a former Whalers and Capitals teammate, a "good friend." The Hawks coach even called Tippett to congratulate him on the playoff berth, but added that the relationship doesn't create any weirdness in the series.

"Once we begin, it's not me against him, it's us against them," Quenneville said. "I'm not too worried about that. Whether it's coaching against Scotty Bowman or other coaches, I don't get too wrapped up in trying to beat that guy. (I'm) just trying to get our team ready."

Radio daze: Game 3 of the quarterfinals on April 17 and Game 6 (if necessary) on April 23 will be broadcast on WIND-AM 560 due to a conflict with the Hawks' flagship station WGN-AM 720. The broadcasts will be joined in progress on WGN if the schedule allows.